In just a few hours, you will . . .

• Stop. Bring the whirlwind of your life to a halt, if only for a moment. Take a breath, and remember, you are in the holy presence of God.
• Look. Open your eyes and look around. See your surroundings and recognize your rightful place in them. God has an idea for you, right here, right now.
• Listen. Listen to the sounds of the world. Listen to the sounds of your heart and head. Could be the Holy Spirit beckoning. Give her both ears.

We seek to be in touch with God’s call in our lives right now—no matter our age, no matter our status, no matter our struggles or blessings. And we seek to respond to that call.
 
Join us for . . .

• Community time
• Song and prayer
• Insightful presentations
• Great food
• Hands-on learning
• Fun with each other
• Activities for children and youth
• Breakout learning sessions

 
Details
When:        Saturday, October 5 (10:00 am – 3:00 pm) or Sunday, October 13 (1:00 pm – 6:00 pm)
Where:      The Grotto, NE 85th and Sandy
Cost:          None! That’s right, it’s FREE! We are grateful to the National C3 organization for a generous grant to cover all costs for the retreat.
Questions:       Call/text Leif Kehrwald at 503-351-9889, or email lkehrwald@stcharlespdx.org. 

St. Charles Church is part of the national C3 project which is focused on helping people of all ages discover and live God's callings in their lives. Calling is a central to our lives as Christians. It encompasses:

• Who we are called to be: we are created by God, baptized in Christ, and sent forth to serve by the power of the Holy Spirit;
• How we are called to live: our commitments of lifestyle and relationships, including marriage, parenting, or the single life;
• What we are called to do: the work, service and activities that fill our daily lives, including paid or professional work, volunteering, homemaking, raising children or caregiving.

 
We are inviting you to take this personal reflection on faith and calling in your life so that our church can better support you in living God's calling and continually growing as a Christian.

Thanks so much for participating in this activity. Your contribution will be very helpful!

by Leif Kehrwald

Along with Mayra Torres and Sherry Wagner, I attended the second national convocation of the "C3 Initiative." C3 stands for Creating a Culture of Calling. St Charles is one of 24 Christian congregations involved in the project which seeks to "promote a congregational culture of vocation that helps Christians of all ages discover their callings throughout life and equips them to live their vocation in the church community, at home, and in the world."
 
The primary focus of this meeting was to draft an action plan for the first year of the project. Here is a short summary of our draft action plan. (Note: we need to discuss the plan further with the entire C3 Team along with other key leadership groups in the parish, e.g. staff, GIFT, Multicultural, etc.)

As part of our initial working on creating a culture of calling St. Charles, the C3 team is taking every opportunity to listen to folks reflect on their experience of God's call in their lives. We would like to hear from you! Please take a moment to respond to the questions below. Your comments will remain anonymous, and they will help us form our strategies and plans for the future. Thanks so much.

Questions? Want more info about C3? Contact Leif Kehrwald at lkehrwald@stcharlespdx.org or 503-351-9889.

Durante los días de tres al seis de abril Leif Kehrwald, Jennifer Winslow y yo Mayra Torres asistimos a una convocación a Baltimore, Maryland. En la cual en el transcurso de 3 días compartimos con 23 congregaciones de diferentes denominaciones y partes del país el significado de la profesión /vocación/ llamado en nuestras iglesias. La idea es de alimentar espiritualmente, guiar y apoyar los diferentes llamados para servir a nuestro Dios a través de nuestras vidas. Es muy común que cuando pensamos en Vocación, Profesión, Llamado Divino pensamos en Sacerdotes, Diáconos y Monjas. La realidad es que Dios nos llama a servirlo a través de nuestras vidas y de muchas maneras. La importancia de reconocer los llamados a través de nuestra vida y enseñar a los niños y jóvenes de nuestra iglesia a reconocer esos llamados a través de la vida es esencial para vivir nuestra fe plenamente.